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Tag Archives: department of energy

Aptera, the well-publicized electric vehicle startup, has decided to call it quits. A letter from the company’s president marked the official end of the tear-drop shaped, three-wheeled electric vehicle. According to the letter, the company was not able to raise sufficient capital to keep its doors open. Remorseful announcement The letter from president Paul Wilbur, Read on! →

Carbon Motors, a boutique firm looking to supply the nation’s police with cars, has sent an open letter to the White House. The firm is after a federal loan so it can start making its turbo-diesel police cruiser. Company wants to put cruiser on the road The Carbon Motors Corporation, according to AutoBlog, has been Read on! →

Automotive News reports that Chrysler Group LLC has tired of waiting for the U.S. government to make a decision regarding the automaker’s candidacy for as much as $7 billion in green auto loans. The potential loans from the U.S. Department of Energy are intended to encourage automakers nationwide to adopt more environmentally friendly production methods Read on! →

Goodyear announced in a press release Monday that it will be developing a tire that not only detects when its pressure is low, it will inflate itself for peak performance and safety. The company has not mentioned a time frame when the technology will become available to consumers. Goodyear is calling the new system Air Read on! →

Fisker Automotive has seen its share of setbacks in its short existence. The startup hybrid automaker was backed by federal and state loans. Now, the company’s Newport, Del., production plant is, in the words of one former employee, “absolutely empty.” Another round of layoffs sent a dozen engineers and technicians home last week. Fisker is Read on! →

The U.S. Department of Energy today disputed a new report by the oil industry’s Coordinating Research Council, which concludes that E15 fuel — a gasoline, ethanol mix — can damage some engines. Contains 15 percent ethanol E15 contains 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline. It is the highest ratio of ethanol to gas recommended Read on! →

In last week’s presidential debate, Republican contender Mitt Romney called Tesla Motors a “loser,” along with Fisker and Solyndra. Friday, the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, blogged that it is neither behind in production nor short on cash. In fact, it is paying off its Department of Energy loan early. Tesla making early payments Tesla was Read on! →

The federal government has been urging automakers for years to craft alternative drive train vehicles, especially cheaper electric cars. However, they are also cognizant of the high cost, as Steven Chu, the Secretary of Energy, recently gave a speech imploring car makers to come up with cost-effective electric cars. New initiative aimed at conquering opportunity Read on! →